


I Love the Way You Love Me

by somebodywakeuphicks



Series: Joyce and Hopper Need Each Other-One Shots [7]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Joyce and Hopper are meant to be, Moving In Together, Nightmares, Passion, Shower Sex, Sneaky Sex, TWO sex scenes in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 00:21:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13512852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodywakeuphicks/pseuds/somebodywakeuphicks
Summary: Hopper and El move into the Byers' house on Thanksgiving. Hopper has a nightmare, and Joyce takes care of him.





	I Love the Way You Love Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is the seventh work in a sequence of Jopper one shots.
> 
> All stories in this series will have different ratings, so please be aware of that. They may involve different characters and POV, but they are all centered on Hopper and Joyce's relationship in some way.

_Joyce Byers_

 

Hopper walked through the door of Melvad’s, rubbing his arms and shivering. “Some first snow we’re having, huh?”

“Hey, Hop!” Joyce greeted him, planting a kiss on his mouth as he leaned over the counter. “What’re you doing here?”

“I seem to have lost my gloves, so I’m stopping in for some new ones,” he said, walking up and down the aisles. “Ah, here we go.” He picked up some thick, wool gloves from the display container. 

“You just came here to see me, didn’t you?” Joyce said, tilting her head, lips quirking into a smile.

“Absolutely. I really did lose my gloves, though.” He walked to the register to pay and chat with Joyce for a bit. “Slow day?”

“Yeah. I think the snow is keeping everyone away. What about you? How’s your day been?”

“Pretty crazy. Lots of accidents to deal with. It’s why I’m taking a break and sent Callahan out to handle it.” His smile broadened. 

“I see. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. Any chance I’ll see you before Thanksgiving?”

“Probably not. ’Tis the season for overtime work.” This was true. He and Joyce both worked long hours starting halfway through November and not letting up until after Christmas. Melvald’s brought the holiday shoppers who didn’t feel like driving all the way to Indianapolis. Hopper had to deal with an uptick in shoplifting, domestic disputes, and making up for other officers’ vacation time. 

Joyce pouted. “But we’re going to spend all Thanksgiving moving you in. That’s no fun.”

“Yeah, but after that, we’ll see a lot more of each other. Which is exactly what we wanted.”

Two weeks prior, the couple had decided it would only make sense to move in together, especially since Hopper and El were already spending their weekends at the Byers’. Joyce’s place was the largest, although not by much. 

“You done packing?” Joyce asked.

Hopper grunted. “No.”

“Will you be by next week?”

“With the essentials, at least.”

Joyce sighed. “Good enough, I guess.”

Joyce had called Jonathan after the big decision. He didn’t call as much as Joyce would’ve liked, but Hopper told her once a week seemed reasonable to him. Jonathan didn't sound too excited about the move, but said he understood. Luckily, he offered up his room to El, which is what Joyce had really called about but was afraid to ask. They agreed to pack up his stuff and store it in Hopper’s cabin with all the other things Hopper wanted to keep but had no room for.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Jonathan and Nancy broke up,” Joyce told Hopper.

“Really? Did he tell you why?”

“I guess she didn’t want to be tied down to her high school boyfriend? Wanted to figure herself out without being attached to someone? I don’t know. That’s what Jonathan said, but you know how it goes, hearing it from one side.”

“True. Well, I gotta get back out there. Love you, babe.” Hopper leaned in for another kiss, and Joyce took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him halfway over the counter and knocking over some stick candy in the process. 

“I—mhmph—I’ve really gotta go,” Hopper said, pulling back.

“I haven’t seen you in almost a week,” Joyce said, eyes pleading. “I’m dying over here.”

Hopper looked around. “You got five minutes?”

“Why? What’re you thinking?”

“Back room.”

“Hop, I could get in trouble for that. What if someone walks in?”

“Lock the door,” Hopper said.

“And if Donald hears about it?”

“You’ve been working here for twelve years. Tell him you had diarrhea or something. Had to lock up for a few.”

“ _Gross._ That’s not exactly sexy.”

“Is this?” Hopper stepped back from the counter, swaying his hips as he slowly unzipped his coat, letting it drop to the floor.

“Oh my god.” Joyce threw her hand to her mouth, giggles escaping.

Hopper backed up toward the storage room, motioning with his index finger as he continued to rock his hips. 

“ _Fuck._ Okay.” Joyce rushed toward the door to lock it, then followed him into the storage room.

Hopper threw Joyce against the shelves, ravaging her mouth as a few items crashed to the ground.

Joyce broke her face away. “Five minutes, remember?”

He fixed his eyes on the button of her pants, tugging it open and the zipper down before growling in her ear. “Turn around.”

Joyce faced the shelving, throwing her hands up to grip the boards as Hopper yanked her pants down. She could hear the clinking of his belt coming undone and the tear of a package. She twisted her head back. “You still carry those with you?”

“Yeah, for situations such as these. Easy clean up.” He pulled Joyce’s ass out a bit before positioning himself, grabbing her hips, and plunging into her with a groan.

Joyce let out a breathy cry. He didn’t hold back, thrusting her into the shelves as they rocked precariously, threatening to tip over. She’d likely have bruises in strange places as her body hit the shelves over and over. Joyce didn’t come from quickies, but that was okay. Hopper hit all the right places inside of her, and the pleasure from that would carry her over until the next time. “The way you love me—” Joyce gasped. “I don’t ever want you to stop loving me like this.”

Hopper fell apart, pressed against Joyce’s body, grasping her fists as he held still. She could feel every pulse of his cock inside of her. Finally, he pulled himself out, quickly straightening up. Joyce did the same, and they both exited the storage room, peering around the corner. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but that didn’t mean a customer hadn’t stopped by.

“That was more like seven minutes,” Joyce said, grinning.

Hopper just stared at her with admiration. “You have me wrapped around your finger, you know.”

Joyce ran her hand down his bearded face. “I know. I love you.”

“I love you, too."

Suddenly, a rapping sounded on the door. Joyce jumped, looking over to see an elderly woman who frequently visited the store. She ran to unlock the door. “Mrs. Sayer. You shouldn’t be out in a storm like this!” she said, helping the woman in.

“I’m out of my medicine.”

Hopper met Joyce’s gaze once more as he winked at her before turning to leave. Her heart skipped. She couldn’t wait to wake up to that man every day. 

***

Thanksgiving came, but no one regarded it as Hopper and Joyce drove back and forth between the cabin and her home, filling and emptying their vehicles with boxes. Joyce also helped Hopper pack up all of the things he hadn’t had time for, which tacked on a lot of extra time. El and Will stayed back at the house as they both worked to make El’s room presentable. 

“How do you have so much stuff?” Joyce complained. “I have no idea where it’s all going to go!”

“If we don’t have room, then we don’t have room, and I’ll bring it back here.”

By the time they were done, it was 5:00. Joyce felt exhausted. All she wanted to do was draw a bubble bath, sip a glass of wine, and read, not to be disturbed. But she wanted to spend Thanksgiving with her loved ones, even if it meant they ate TV dinners together around the dining room table. 

When she and Hopper walked in the door, boxes covering the living room, Joyce smelled something sweet coming from the kitchen. “Hey, what’s going on?” Joyce called. 

“Come and see,” El said. She smiled from ear to ear. She had been the first one to suggest moving in together. “You love each other. Why can we not stay together all the time?” she’d asked.

Joyce and Hopper made their way through the maze of boxes and into the kitchen where El and Will had two things cooking on the stovetop and something baking in the oven. A pumpkin pie cooled on the counter. 

“Oh, this is so wonderful! Come here, you two.” Joyce wrapped Will and El in a hug as she kissed both their heads. “Whose idea was this?” They both turned to look at Hopper. 

Joyce walked over to him, kissing him softly. “This was so thoughtful. I thought you didn’t care about Thanksgiving.”

“If you care about it, I care about it.”

Joyce smiled, shifting back toward the kids. “So, what are we having?”

“Scalloped potatoes, green beans, stuffing, marshmallow fruit salad, rolls, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie,” Will announced.

“Mmm, sounds delicious. I’ll go wash my hands, and Hopper and I will set the table.”

After everyone was seated around the dining room table, about to dish up, someone knocked on the door.

“I wonder who that could be,” Joyce said.

“Why don’t we go find out?” Hopper said, walking with Joyce to the door.

When she opened it, Karen Wheeler stood there, smiling. “Happy Thanksgiving, you guys! I brought over some leftover turkey. We ate earlier. Hopper said you wouldn’t have time to make any.”

Joyce took the plate from Karen. “Thank you so much!”

“No problem. We always have leftovers. I’ll let you get back to your holiday. I’ll talk to you later.”

Joyce set the plate down and pulled Hopper into her arms. “I can’t believe the thought you put into all of this,” she told him. “I feel so lucky.”

“I’m the lucky one,” Hopper said, right before Joyce stood on her tip toes to kiss him. 

Will walked around the corner at that moment. “Come on! Can’t you do that somewhere else? Is this gonna happen all the time now?”

“Probably,” Hopper answered, before Joyce smacked his arm. 

***

That night, Hopper and Joyce snuggled in bed. “It’s been a great day. Tiring, but great,” Joyce said. 

“Yep. And now I get to sleep next to this beautiful woman every night, not just on the weekends.” He kissed her nose. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

A few hours later, Joyce woke with a start. Hopper thrashed around his side of the bed, moaning. “ _No. Don’t_ ,” he whimpered.

Joyce put her hand on Hopper’s arm. Beads of sweat covered his body, and he shivered. “Hop,” she whispered. “Hop!” A bit louder. His arm flew toward her and smacked her in the mouth. Joyce gasped, leaping back. The taste of metal hit her tongue, and she touched her fingers to her lips, pulling them back to find blood. 

The impact must’ve woken Hopper, because he stirred, then sat up. “What’s wrong?” he mumbled. Then he saw Joyce’s lip. “What happened?”

“You were having a nightmare—”

“Did I do that to you? Jesus, I’m sorry. I’ve never done that before.”

“Usually, you sleep alone,” Joyce said. 

“I’m really sorry.”

“I know. It’s okay. Mind handing me a tissue?”

“Oh, yeah.” Hopper reached to the bedside table, grabbing a tissue and giving it to Joyce. 

“What was the dream?” Joyce asked. 

Hopper sighed. “A reoccurring one, unfortunately. Sara. I—it’s fucking horrible.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want,” Joyce offered. 

“No, you should know what’s happening.” He paused. “I have this dream where Diane and I are at the park with Sara. It’s where we were when she couldn’t breathe the first time. Only instead of not being able to breathe, some… _creature_ comes out from somewhere and grabs her. She’s screaming for me, reaching her arms out, completely terrified. And I can’t move. I’m stuck in place. No one around us even notices. Diane does, but I guess she can’t do anything, either. I have to watch as this thing drags my daughter away, and I’m completely helpless to stop it.” Hopper hesitated, pinching the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Then, I’m thrown into some other place. Someplace dark. Just me this time. But I hear Sara. So I follow the sound through this…haunted house of sorts…through all these rooms. I keep hearing her call out, “Daddy.” So I keep walking. There’s a big pile of empty pop cans. Don’t ask me why. So I climb to the top of the pile, and all of a sudden, I’m in a lab. I hide behind a wall, peer around it, and there she is. My Sara. She’s buckled down in a chair. I lock eyes with her. She knows I’m there to save her. Then a big chair whirls around, and it’s the creature from before. His eyes glow red, and I know I’ve been spotted. He points to me, and two skeletons pop out from nowhere and grab me. I scream her name over and over as I watch…” Hopper stopped, unable to go on. 

Joyce couldn't find words. She put her hand on Hopper’s arm, stroking it. He turned to look at her, tears in his eyes. She didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but in that moment, she could only think of loving him the way he so often loved her. She threw herself against him, a desperate embrace with her swollen lip. Instead of pulling back, he met her with vigor, his frantic kisses nearly causing him to choke. They held still, panting, forehead to forehead, nose to nose, only moving to press tender kisses to each other’s faces. “I love you so much,” Joyce whispered. 

“I love you, too.” Hopper sighed. “I can’t sleep, so I’m going to get in the shower.”

“Want me to join you?”

Hopper smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Hopper turned the shower on, adjusting it to just the right temperature before stepping in and letting the spray wash over him. Joyce climbed in after him. She ran her hands over Hopper’s broad shoulders and arms. She kissed his chest as she fingered his wet chest hair, pinkies grazing his nipples. Hopper let out a small groan, but otherwise stayed silent and unmoving, watching her. Joyce’s hands skimmed over his slight love handles before gripping his firm ass. 

He took her into his arms, an act that always made her feel safe and protected. She would never admit that she enjoyed that feeling of security, but she did. She’d compared him to a bear before. They shared a lot of similarities. Hopper stood tall, sturdy, and rugged. His masculinity shone through in the way he carried himself. At the same time, his fierce loyalty and sensitivity reminded Joyce of a mama bear, though she would never tell him that. His rumbly voice turned her knees to jello, especially when he growled during sex. 

Fingering his beard, admiring the streaks of gray that indicated a life lived, Joyce tilted her head up, meeting his blue eyes with intense want. She reached her hand down stroking Hopper’s length as he grew stiff. Still keeping her eyes locked with his, she knelt down, taking him into her mouth. Hopper cursed under his breath, attempting to brace himself against the walls of the shower as Joyce worked her magic. She loved his cock. It was the biggest she’d ever had, but not outrageously so. More than anything, she loved the man with the cock, and she loved pleasing him. As she sucked and squeezed, she could feel him drawing close. His legs shook, and he broke eye contact as he leaned his head back, mouth open. When he shuddered and came into Joyce’s mouth, she swallowed it all, then looked up to smile at him. He held himself up, but barely, chest rising and falling, staring down at Joyce with awe. When she noticed a drop of come still on the tip of Hopper’s cock, she kindly licked it off.

“God damn.” It’s all Hopper could say.

When the two finally found themselves back in bed, Hopper turned toward Joyce and yawned. “Thank you. You’re—I don't deserve you.”

“Get a good night’s rest. I love you,” Joyce said.

“I know. I love you, too.”

“I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had no idea where I was going when I wrote this one, but it ended up being really fun to write. I also much enjoyed describing Hopper. *blushes*
> 
> ***
> 
> The nightmare Hopper had was actually inspired by a very vivid nightmare I had as a child. Not the Sara part, of course, but it involved my little sister. 
> 
> ***
> 
> I've loved writing one of these a day, but I've slacked on my grad school work, so...this week I may be putting fewer out because I've got a lot of work to do.


End file.
